Newly privatised Hamburg Commercial Bank (HCB) has revealed an increase in shipping lending for 2018 as provisions were cut.

The German bank, which changed its name from HSH Nordbank this month, said its maritime division added EUR 0.9bn ($1.02bn) in new loans, up from EUR 0.5bn in 2017.

But it said: "The bank intentionally restricted its new commitments in light of the competitive pressure on margins."